Broadway revival of 'Golden Boy' is a knockout

• 'War Horse' alum Seth Numrich gives blazing performance
• Excellent cast also includes Tony Shalhoub, Danny Burstein
• Production based on Clifford Odets' 1937 play

NEW YORK -- When Seth Numrich, who stars in the new Broadway revival of Golden Boy (* * * * out of four), last introduced a role on Broadway, he was upstaged by puppets.

What a difference 20 months can make. The young actor who so fetchingly played a lad in love with his stallion in 2011's War Horse has blossomed into a formidable leading man; and Boy, which opened Thursday at the Belasco Theatre, proves an ideal showcase for his burgeoning gifts.

Numrich's riveting performance as Joe Bonaparte -- a violinist who sells his sensitive, artistic soul for a glamorous and lucrative boxing career -- is only one feature that makes this Lincoln Center Theater staging of Clifford Odets' 1937 play a must-see. Director Barlett Sher, who has helmed superb productions of American classics ranging from South Pacific to Joe Turner's Come And Gone, has once again compiled a first-rate cast and captured the excitement and emotional resonance that make such works timeless.

The tale of Joe, an Italian immigrant's son who dreams of a more prosperous and dignified life, seems especially ripe for retelling in our time of diminishing socio-economic optimism. It's easy to see how this naive musician is drawn to the carnivores of capitalism who encircle him: Tom Moody, the manager desperate to resuscitate his sagging career; Roxy Gottlieb, his crass promoter; and Eddie Fuseli, a gangster who wants, and gets, "a piece of that boy."

Numrich nails every aspect of Joe's character: the goofy boyishness and wounded pride that dissolve as his confidence grows, unveiling layers of depth and charm that slicken and harden into something completely alien to his nature. "I enjoy hitting guys now, just to hear them squeal," he confides to Lorna Moon, Moody's mistress, as she and Joe begin to fall for each other in a gorgeously tender, sexy scene. "Something's the matter with me."

By the end of Act Two, Joe's corruption seems complete. There is a harrowing exchange in which, upset by a visit from his father, who wants him to give up fighting, he breaks down before the one colleague who truly cares about him: his trainer, Tokio, played with heartrending authenticity by Danny Burstein. Tokio cradles Joe as he would a small child, then begins encouraging him, and Joe's despair gradually evaporates, replaced by a frenzied vengefulness that's as empowering as it is ugly.

There are a number of such breathtaking moments. Though we don't see Joe in a match, Sher and fight director B.H. Barry ensure that Numrich and others cast as boxers summon the exhilarating physicality that makes this violent sport seductive for so many.

Those who aren't impressed by such things will surely be moved by the broken look on the face of Tony Shalhoub, cast as Joe's anguished dad; or how Yvonne Strahovski's Lorna struggles to keep her own torment buried behind a cool facade.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a production, even in this season of robust revivals, that packs more visceral punch.